Is it really the “happiest place on Earth”? A new proposed class action lawsuit accuses the Walt Disney Company of violating privacy, unfair competition, and consumer protection laws by using facial recognition technology at Disneyland park entrances to verify tickets. The proposed class action seeks at least $5 million in damages and a court order requiring Disney to obtain written consent before using the technology. How Does Disney Use Biometric Data? In April, Disney implemented facial recognition at the entrances to Disneyland and its sister park, Disney California Adventure (aka where you go for Radiator Springs Racers). Disney takes photographs of guests’ faces and compares them with images that were taken when they first used their annual passes or tickets. Disney has said that this makes entering and reentering the park easier and helps prevent fraud. There are signs posted at four entrances indicating that visitors can avoid the technology by using separate non-biometric entry lanes. But critics say these signs are easy to miss, and most guests opt to have their faces scanned. Disney has said publicly that the biometric information it collects at Disneyland entrances is deleted within 30 days, unless it’s retained for legal or fraud-prevention purposes. The Complaint The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on May 15, on behalf of a woman named Summer Christine Duffield. Duffield lives in Riverside County and visited Disneyland with her kids. The complaint alleges that Disney “does not adequately disclose the use of their biometric collection, so consumers — which almost always include children — have no idea that Disney is collecting this highly sensitive data.” The lawsuit argues that posting signs telling people they can skip the scan is not the same as giving meaningful notice. Instead, the complaint